Home Office issues guidance in bid to tackle false ID

The Home Office has issued guidance on false ID, the types of valid ID and the action that should be taken when licensed premises are presented with false ID.

The guidance covers:

• The law regarding false ID
• Acceptable forms of ID
• Guidance for door staff
• Guidance for licenced premises
• Guidance for the police
• What should be done with ID that is handed in
• Communicating to raise awareness.

Since 2010 a mandatory licence condition has required all premises to have in place an age verification policy requiring that customers who appear to staff to be under 18 years of age are asked to show valid IDs.

Writing in the foreword to the guidance, junior minister Lord Henley said this, coupled with increased sanctions for premises persistently selling to under-18s, had led to many premises taking age verification much more seriously.

He added: “We are aware that false ID is a problem in a number of areas and that police, door supervisors and staff who serve alcohol are sometimes uncertain about how to deal with this issue.

A copy of the Home Office guidance can be viewed here.